XII. The Local Church

We believe that each local church is a visible expression of the Body of Christ and that God’s program for this age is to be carried out through the local church, which is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth.  A local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, organized for worship and service, observing the ordinances, and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word.  (Acts 2:41; 14:27;1 Tim. 3:15)

 We believe that there are two scriptural offices in the local church: the office of the pastor (also called elder or bishop) and the office of deacon.  We believe that the local church is self-governing, ruled by the democracy of the saints (Acts 6:1-6; 15:22,23; 1 Cor. 5:1-13), subject to the scriptures only, and free of any external ecclesiastical authority (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Acts 20:17,28,29)

 We believe that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, and that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. (Acts 15:1-4; 22-31)